Chapter 44

44

Charlie was inside. Murdoch Lake, Ronnie’s brother—a cop with Major Crimes—he was inside, too.

And there were other friends of Charlie’s in there right now. Including that head of the SWAT team for Finley Creek, Commander Rodriguez. There were people inside who could help them.

If they could just signal for that help.

Chantal tried not to move, to show how afraid she was. He had hit Gene, he had the gun pointed right at her. She didn’t understand it at all. “Please, just let us go back inside. Charlie is in there?—”

His face tightened. And he snarled. That was when she put it together. He was angry at her brother.

This was about Charlie somehow. She really wished her brother would show up right now—he always carried his police issue weapon. Even now. He said he always would. She just wanted help.

Gene was still wavering on his feet. There was blood on the back of his collar now. That man had hit him so hard. He needed help.

“You have a problem with Charlie? Why?” Gene asked.

Chantal waited a moment. “Tell me, please. So I can understand. What happened between you and my brother?”

“He killed her. That’s what happened. He did. It’s all his fault she’s gone.”

“Your sister?” She wasn’t making too much of a leap, Chantal could see that. Other than the gun, he mostly just seemed like a broken man. One who was hurting.

Grieving.

She’d been like that—after Jaden. They all had.

But none of them had struck someone and pointed a gun at them. For what? Vengeance?

Genny had spoken a lot about the stages of grief. She’d said before that it was hard for her to see—and she saw it all the time in the ER. When she saw people at their worst moments.

Well, so did Charlie.

And so did this man.

They just had to stall for time. Someone would come out and help them soon.

She told herself that. Told herself Charlie or his friends would realize something was wrong.

Charlie would. He just would. “Talk to me. Tell me about her. What was her name?”

“Her name was Candy…”